Chapter 8
That night, Emily chose a flirty dress in an azure blue that flattered her peaches-and-cream complexion. She noticed her afternoon spent poolside—or maybe it was her time on the paddleboard—had given her a nice tan.
After contemplating several options, she added heeled sandals with a touch of bling, then stepped in front of the full-length mirror.
Staring at her reflection, she applied more color to her lips, then smiled in satisfaction. She was ready for dancing, drinking and a whole lot of fun.
Although Destiny was less than two miles away, it wouldn’t be a pleasant trek in these shoes. She had the Uber driver let her off a block from the club, wanting to savor a few more minutes of the glorious weather before stepping inside.
It was funny that, until recently, she’d never realized just how much she loved being outdoors. Much of her life had been spent inside, first at the hotel working side by side with her father, then in various classrooms.
Was this love of the great outdoors something new? Emily mentally shook her head at the thought. Hadn’t she been planning to sit in Maplewood Park and read when she’d run into Serena? And her large garden was a source of pride.
She thought of what Chloe had said about tending to her garden. A smile lifted her lips. Her flowers and vegetables were in good hands.
“Hey, pretty lady.”
The voice came from a young man—okay, maybe not all that young compared to the new her, early twenties maybe—but that still seemed young to her. It was going to take a while, she realized, for her to accept her youth.
With a mass of dark hair on the top of his head and shaved sides, he stood watching her from beneath hooded eyes.
Emily studied him for a long moment and realized she knew him. Or rather, knew his grandmother. She pointed to him, finding pleasure in the knowledge. “I know you.”
Apparently taking that as an invitation, he stepped closer. “Well, I’d like to know you a whole lot better.”
“You’re Donna Jacoby’s grandson, Timmy.” Emily smiled, thinking of the stories fellow teacher Donna had told about her grandson. All boy was how Donna had referred to his antics.
“It’s TJ,” he said stiffly.
“Your grandmother apparently hasn’t gotten that message.” Sympathy filled Emily’s voice. Even after she’d gone by Til for years and made it clear that’s what she wanted to be called, her grandmother in Michigan had always sent letters addressed to Matilda.
His gaze narrowed. “How do you know my granny?”
“Not important.” Emily offered him a smile. “I’ll be sure to tell her I ran into you.”
“No need—” he began.
She strolled to the club entrance without looking back. Though she hadn’t dated in sixty-plus years, Emily knew when a man was about to make a move on her.
As she wasn’t the least bit interested in Timmy, especially after hearing some of Donna’s stories about him, she had needed to shut down any interest on his part. Introducing his grandmother into the conversation had seemed the easiest solution.
When Emily reached the outside of the club, she hesitated. What if no one spoke to her? Or asked her to dance?
She mentally shook off the worry. This uncertainty wasn’t like her.
Pulling out her driver’s license, Emily stepped to the man with the full beard and sleeve tats checking IDs. She recognized him from his job at the Crab Shack. “Good to see you, Dirk. I wasn’t aware you also worked here.”
Puzzlement filled his eyes as he studied her identification, then stamped her hand. “Have we met?”
“I’m in love with the food at the Crab Shack.” For years, Emily and her friends had had a standing weekly dinner date at the seafood café. “I’ve seen you there.”
After giving her a slow head-to-toe perusal, he shook his head slowly. “Naw, I’d remember you.”
“Apparently not.”
Dirk’s gaze remained puzzled, and he repeated, “I’d remember you.”
Emily only shot him a sunny smile before stepping through the open door.
Once inside, she checked out the club, winding her way through tables and the bar area with its endless stools, then past the stage, where a band tuned up. She didn’t see Mackenna as she returned to the tables area, but stopped when a hand touched her arm.
She whirled to find Chloe grinning at her.
“I thought that was you.” Chloe turned to Jaclyn. “Didn’t I tell you I thought that was Emily?”
“You did,” Jaclyn admitted. “Hi, Emily. Cute dress.”
“Thanks.”
“If you’re not sitting with anyone, we have room at our table.” Chloe pointed to an empty chair next to her.
Emily’s heart gave an excited leap, but she kept her voice casual. “Thanks. The person I thought would be here apparently decided not to come.”
“Happens.” Chloe spoke matter-of-factly.
Before dropping down, Emily offered Jaclyn a hesitant smile. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Jaclyn waved a hand. “The more, the merrier.”
Emily realized the two women were enjoying a night on the town with a large group of friends. A group that included men as well as women. At the far end of the table, Emily recognized Sophie and her husband, Joe, as well as Charlie and Hannah Rogan.
But no Mackenna, who was a friend of Hannah’s. Finding her no longer seemed important, though if their paths did cross, Emily would definitely buy her that promised drink.
“Jaclyn was about to tell me about the date she had last night,” Chloe said to Emily before turning her attention to her friend.
“We had fun, I guess.” Jaclyn lifted a shoulder, then let it drop. “But no spark, know what I mean?”
Chloe nodded.
“I do, but I don’t.” Emily hadn’t meant to speak. This wasn’t her conversation, after all, but now both Chloe and Jaclyn were looking at her, and she felt she had to continue.
Emily strove for a casual tone instead of embarrassed. “I haven’t had a lot of experience with guys,” she confessed. “I’ve only kissed one man in my entire life.”
Chloe laughed as if Emily had made a joke.
Jaclyn’s blue eyes narrowed. “Are you playing us?”
“I’m not.” Heat rose up her neck, but Emily was powerless to stop it.
“How can that be?” Chloe asked, her eyes wide.
“Juilliard is very competitive. I didn’t have time for much else.” Sticking as close to the truth as possible, Emily continued. “I was engaged once. Vince was my first boyfriend and the only man I’ve ever kissed. When we broke up, I didn’t feel much like dating.”
“Or kissing.” Jaclyn’s lips quirked up.
“Are you ready now?” Excitement lit a fire in Chloe’s amber eyes. “Do you have someone in mind who can help end the drought?”
“Not really.” Emily resisted the urge to sigh.
“So the field is wide open?” Chloe clasped her hands together. “I love this.”
“I’m glad one of us is excited.” Emily rolled her eyes, though she had to admit she found Chloe’s enthusiasm contagious.
“Let’s make three kisses your goal for tonight. That’s easily doable. Especially the closer it gets to closing.” Chloe slung an arm around Emily’s shoulders. “Trust me, by the time this evening is over, you won’t be a kissing virgin.”
“Kissing virgin?”
In response to the deep male voice, the three of them turned as one.
“Dalton.” A startled look crossed Chloe’s face, then she smiled. “Jaclyn didn’t mention you were coming tonight.”
“The sister is always the last to know.” Jaclyn spoke in a droll tone before gesturing to Emily with an airy hand. “Emily Curtis, this eavesdropper is my brother, Dalton.”
It was easy to see the family resemblance, as both siblings had dark-as-midnight hair and vivid blue eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you, Emily.” Dalton’s gaze slid back to his sister. “My sister is a kissing virgin?”
Jaclyn laughed. “Not me. Emily.”
“I’ve kissed a man before.” Emily’s cheeks burned. “Not that it’s any of?—”
“Whoa, hold up, Emily.” Chloe’s expression brightened. “Dalton may be able to help you out.”
“Sure.” His gaze shifted from one to the other. “Happy to help. What do I need to do?”
“Kiss Emily.” Chloe spoke at the same instant Emily said, “Nothing.”
“She’s only kissed one guy.” Disbelief rang in Chloe’s voice. “Jaclyn and I will put an end to that tonight. We’re going to find three men for her to kiss before closing.”
“Three? Seriously?” Dalton asked.
“It’s not that many.” Chloe arched a brow. “What part are you finding difficult to understand, Dalton?”
“That someone this beautiful has only kissed one man.” Dalton shook his head, then refocused on Emily. “What kind of guys have you been spending time with?”
“I haven’t.” Emily was not going to go into detail. She didn’t owe him, or any other stranger, an explanation. “I’ve been busy with…life.”
Dalton shifted his gaze to Chloe. “Unless she wants to kiss a bunch of different guys, it’s not your business to intervene.”
“She does want that.” Jaclyn pinned Emily with her gaze. “Don’t you?”
Emily wished, wished, wished that she had kept her mouth shut.
“I wouldn’t mind getting a little practice.” Emily could have cheered when her voice came out casual and offhand, just as she’d intended. “I just haven’t seen anyone who strikes my fancy.”
“Strikes your fancy?” Jaclyn gave a hoot of laughter. “That sounds like something my gran would say.”
Thankfully, a response was unnecessary, because the band out of DC started up their set, and they were loud. It wasn’t only the noise factor. Emily quickly discovered that this group was much more interested in dancing and drinking than talking.
So, Emily danced, flitting from one partner to another. She’d just returned to her seat after dancing with several guys when Andrew Doman, a graduate student who worked part time at Timeless Treasures, approached her.
Whenever she’d stopped by the antique store as Til, she had always enjoyed her conversations with the serious young man, whose dark glasses had a habit of sliding down his nose.
After clearing his throat loudly, he asked her to dance.
As Emily could tell he was nervous, she offered him her brightest smile. “I’d love to.”
A startled look crossed his face. Only then did she realize he’d been braced for rejection.
She took his arm and leaned close so he could hear her. “You work at Timeless Treasures.”
“I do, but I’ve never seen you there. I would have remembered.” His hazel eyes held an earnestness that tugged at her heart.
“I don’t stop in often,” she assured him, “and it wasn’t any time recent.”
That was it for talking now, since they’d reached the dance floor and were enveloped by the pounding beat. Emily found herself scattering smiles like confetti as she let the music take over.
Emily loved the way the music and the lyrics reached inside her body to wrap around her heart. She enjoyed moving to the beat, but found she missed being twirled around the floor in a man’s arms.
She was nearly back to her seat when the band began a slow set. Emily’s heart gave a little leap. Perhaps she and Chloe would now have a chance to say more than one or two words to each other.
A brown-haired young man with a full goatee reached the table right before Emily. He held out a hand to Chloe. “They’re playing our song, babe.”
Rising, Chloe took his hand, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.
Emily’s eyes widened at the bold gesture even as she fought a pang of envy.
Jaclyn soon joined her friend on the floor with a tall guy who had a messy mop of blond hair. Emily had noticed the two sharing other dances together.
“Care to dance?”
Emily looked up, and there was Josh from the Dairy Sweet. “I suppose if I can’t have a peach ice cream cone, I’ll settle for a dance.”
“Always second choice.” Josh gave an exaggerated sigh as they made their way through the crowd.
When they reached the dance floor and he held out his hand, she took it and placed her left hand on top of his right shoulder.
Josh was an excellent dancer. Instead of simply swaying to the music, like Jaclyn and Chloe were doing with their partners, his feet and hers moved in well-synchronized movements.
It had been so long since she’d danced in this manner that having her hand clasped in his felt oddly intimate. Emily soon lost herself in the music, in the sensation of his skin against hers, in the intoxicating scent of a citrusy cologne and a warm body only inches from hers.
“Kiss him,” Jaclyn hissed.
Emily turned her head to see Jaclyn and her date dance off.
“What did she say?” Josh asked, though his eyes shining with amusement told her he’d understood the directive.
“My friends have this game where they’ve challenged me to kiss three guys before the end of the evening.”
“How’s that going?”
“Big fat zero,” she told him.
“I’m happy to get you closer to the end zone.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“And for myself.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Interested?”
“Sure.” She smiled. “I?—”
She didn’t have time to finish what she was about to say when his lips closed over hers in a soft, sweet kiss.
“Thank you,” she told him when he pulled back.
“Is it three kisses with three different guys or three kisses from the same guy?” His eyes twinkled. “Because if it’s three by the same guy, I’m your man.”
The song ended, and it would have been so easy to stay in those arms and dance to another song, but she didn’t want to give Josh the wrong impression. She liked Josh, enjoyed talking to him, but like Jaclyn’s date last night, there was no spark.
“Thanks for the dance.” She stepped back. “And the kiss.”
“I’m totally serious when I say it was my pleasure.”
Emily crossed the goal line by garnering two more kisses before the end of the evening—one with a young guy who’d just graduated from Collister College and was planning on moving to New York, the other with a man who looked a decade older than most of the guys in the club.
Earlier in the evening, she’d considered kissing Andrew, but worried he might read something into it, so the guy with the mustache had gotten the nod instead.
The last thing she wanted to do was to lead anyone on. She caught Jaclyn’s brother watching her, but he didn’t approach.
Probably afraid I’ll jump him,Emily thought with a smile.
“Last call,” Jaclyn announced, her gaze shifting from Emily to Chloe. “Either of you want anything?”
“I’m fine.” Emily stood. “I need to call an Uber.”
“Don’t do that.” Chloe rose and put a restraining hand on Emily’s arm before turning to Jaclyn. “We can give her a ride home, right?”
The question in Chloe’s voice told Emily that Jaclyn was the one who’d driven tonight.
“Sure.” Jaclyn stood and smiled. “Anyone who crosses the goal line deserves better than an Uber.”